"I have the contract for next year," said Sunderland's manager who is endeavouring to keep his significantly improved yet still struggling team in the Premier League and faces a key game at Norwich City on Saturday.

"If we lose the next 11 games then maybe I won't be here but I don't like to say I'm only interested in this season. I care about next year. We need to make sure we are doing something for next season and the year after."

Poyet has latterly been looking very closely at Sunderland's under-18 and under-21 sides. Apart from talking tactics with the club's youth coaches he is getting to know the young players and helping to determine some of their immediate futures while ensuring the establishment and implementation of a consistent pattern of play throughout the academy.

"I want to pay the owner and the chief executive back," he said. "That is very important to me. Staying up can change the future of everyone at the football club and mine as well.

"The focus is on that and of course you concentrate on the immediate things but, when you have time, you look beyond them. We have to believe we can build something important here.

"I do feel that responsibility but I love pressure and responsibility. I want to make sure that we start to make money or not lose as much money.

"It's important that we pay attention to the academy and have stability so you don't need to keep sacking managers, paying them off, starting from zero and rebuilding. And having a sporting director and then having another sporting director. That's how you lose money. We need stability."

In the short term avoiding relegation would do Sunderland's accounts a power of good and Poyet's belief that survival can be secured is such that his summer plans are geared to another Premier League campaign.

"We have started organising pre-season friendlies but at the moment we have not looked at the dates for the Championship programme," he said. "It's difficult but we are trying to stay very positive and believe we're going to make it."

It does not help Poyet's cause that Steven Fletcher, Sunderland's important but latterly injury-prone striker, is facing the prospect of season-ending ankle surgery.

"We are still assessing Steven," Poyet said. "We have not made the final decision. Yet. He is not fit for this weekend but we are trying to stay calm and assess properly.

"I hope he's not out for the rest of the season but it's still quite swollen and that makes it difficult to interpret MRI scans. It depends how bad the twist is. There are no bone issues but it depends how badly the ligaments are damaged. It has been a difficult year for Steven."